Dr. Bock,

I don't wish to weary you, so I will make this my last posting on this discussion of sin and hell, spawned by your summary of the features of the E/E movement.

I'm somewhat confused by your again bringing up the Scripture's equation of covetousness with idolatry. You appear to be implying that greed is as bad or worse than homosexuality. However, it seems to me from Rom. 1:23-27 that homosexuality is a judgment from God upon the idolatry of unregenerate people. It is a downward spiral from idolatry into homosexuality, if I am understanding this passage correctly.

As far as hell goes, I don't think that there is much talk of hell in most modern presentations of the gospel. It is true, as you alluded to, that some presentations of the gospel, such as Evangelism Explosion, imply a loss of heaven for failure to receive the gospel message.

However, the apostles themselves sometimes warned their listeners/readers of consequences for failure to believe in the good news, such as a day of judgment (E.g., Acts 17:30-31, Rom. 2:5-16). In a perfect world (figuratively speaking), there might be no need to address what might be called "the other side of the gospel." Like you, however, I prefer to place the emphasis on the good news of the gospel, but also being willing to address the consequences of failing to heed the good news.